I really do apologize for this. I’ll warn you now, it’s not pretty for the most of the Jets and I really hope those of you going to the game against Dallas tonight get a bit of a better show. The Jets were outplayed for the majority of the game, and the chance count definitely reflects that.

Scoring Chances

Winnipeg

Even Strength

PP/SH

Chance +/-

Player

For

Vs.

For

Vs.

Stuart

0

3

1

0

-2

Trouba

0

5

1

2

-6

Kane

1*

4

1

2

-4

Jokinen

0

0

0

0

0

Halischuk

0

0

0

0

0

Ladd

1*

5

1

2

-5

Wright

0

1

1

2

-2

Little

1*

4

1

2

-4

Slater

0

0

1

0

+1

Clitsome

0

2

2

0

0

Wheeler

1*

6

1

1

-5

Tangradi

0

0

0

0

0

Byfuglien

1*

2

1

4

-4

Enstrom

1*

3

1

1

-2

Setoguchi

0

3

1

0

-2

Bogosian

0

6

0

1

-7

Scheifele

0

5

1

0

-4

Frolik

0

0

0

0

0

Minnesota

Even Strength

PP/SH

Chance +/-

Player

For

Vs.

For

Vs.

Ballard

1

0

0

0

+1

Stoner

2

0

0

0

+2

Koivu

6

0

4

2

+8

Parise

6

0

3

2

+7

Fontaine

3

0

0

0

+3

Heatley

2

0

3

1

+4

Mitchell

0

1*

0

0

-1

Veilleux

0

0

0

0

0

Suter

7

1*

4

2

+8

Brodziak

2

1*

0

0

+1

Niederreiter

4

0

0

0

+4

Cooke

2

1*

1

1

+1

Brodin

7

1*

1

1

+6

Konopka

0

0

0

1

-1

Pominville

2

0

3

1

+4

Spurgeon

1

0

0

1

0

Dumba

2

0

0

0

+2

Granlund

2

0

0

0

+2

Team

1st (EV)

2nd (EV)

3rd (EV)

Total (EV)

Winnipeg

3(0)

0(0)

1(1*)

4(1*)

Minnesota

8(5)

4(3)

2(2)

14(10)

* The App I use counts pulled goalie chances as ES

Thoughts

Despite this being Minnesota’s first win, they haven’t exactly been out played this year. For the most part their Corsi numbers, and just watching the games, signify that they were due for a win and the Jets lack of puck possession skills thus far provided them with a perfect opportunity. I just don’t think it needed to be THIS bad.

As a whole, I think things could have been much worse. The puck was in the Jets zone for the majority of the game, and in my opinion the Jets actually did a DECENT job at limiting the potential chances that Minnesota had. Minnesota also missed the net on a lot of these chances. Thus, although Pavelec was once again the Jets best player, I don’t think he was necessarily as “big” in this game as he has been in the previous three.

Once again the Jets were badly outplayed in the first, and “improved” moving forward throughout the game. This could be due to Minnesota taking less chances in order to hold onto a surprising one goal lead (surprising for the fact that it was only a one goal lead), but the constant slow starts are getting to be unacceptable. Especially when you consider that the Jets just had three days off between games.

The top line was picked apart against the Wild. To me, the fact that they had a high total of chances against is not as concerning as their miniscule chances for. These guys face tough minutes. They have been facing them ever since they joined the Jets and it is going to eventually result in chances against. Same old story though, in that these three have been completely unable to generate anything offensively at even strength. I’m not sure if this trend has to do with the “desire for more defense” from the team as the whole, or this apparent “new system” from Noel, but I think at this point it is clear that it’s no good. Until this line starts to actually produce, I don’t see the Jets goal scoring, puck possession, or shot totals getting better at all.

I guess good work on Jokinen, Halischuk, Tangradi, and Frolik for not taking any chances against? Or really doing anything at all?

Since being paired with Clitsome, Bogosian has gone a -13 in two games. He was a +2 with Trouba. Can we go back to that please?

Koivu, Parise and Niederreiter absolutely dominated at 5 on 5. Mikko Koivu is one of the most under rated players in the league and he showed that last night. Paired with Zach Parise and a player in Nino Niederreiter who wants to do nothing more than make the Islanders pay for giving up on him? That can be a deadly line.

I just need to point this out one more time. Outside of the 6 on 5 pulled goalie chance, the Jets had NO EVEN STRENGTH CHANCES. AT ALL. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!?!

Moving Forward

The Jets need to be better. It’s that simple. The have been constantly out played and out classed, and eventually Pavelec is going to regress back to his normal self. They can’t win if they keep playing this way.

I’d also like to give a quick shout out to Joshua Weissbock (@joshweissbock) whose site I use to log these chances. Check it out at http://sareon.pythonanywhere.com/.

I write things, you read them. Then tend to yell at me for them. It's okay though, I'm from Winnipeg. I can take it. If you actually do like what I write, give me a twitter follow here (@thrubeniuk): https://twitter.com/thrubeniuk